Thursday, January 26, 2012

sensory bins, beans, and a number game…

Another one of Grayson’s favorite things to do at his art center is to make a quick sensory bin.  He picks a tub (this one happened to be one that I recently bought at IKEA) or bin, I dump dried pinto beans in, and he grabs his basket of tractors and trucks to “drive” in the bins. 

sensory_ bin_of_beans

We will also use different measuring cups, spoons, and containers to scoop, pour, and transfer the beans.  It’s a great “inside alternative” to a sand box. Grayson will sit and drive, pour, and scoop for at least 30 minutes!  This is a great activity for the 4-5 o’clock hour when you’re trying to get dinner ready and your kiddos have already played with every.single.toy they own. 

sensory_bin

Another activity you can do while you have the beans out is to make a quick “number game”.  I divided a large piece of paper into 10 sections and wrote numbers 1-10 in the squares.  Grayson then counted out the appropriate number of beans for each square.  Such a quick and easy “game”, but it’s a great way to reinforce counting and number recognition.  We’re going to try this with the alphabet, too.

number_game_beans

Do you have any “go to”activities when your kids are bored with all of their toys or when they’re stuck inside?  

1 comment:

  1. This is a great idea. Love the "counting" as it could keep kids occupied for a good while ;-)

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